Nokia launches Asha 210 WhatsApp phone

It's getting social in here

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After dropping a few subtle hints earlier this week, Nokia has unveiled its budget Asha 210 handset, complete with full Qwerty keyboard and dedicated WhatsApp button sat on the front.

The 210 comes selling itself as "the most social Asha yet," placing its social networking features, including Facebook and Twitter, at the heart of the handset. Owners will also get free lifetime services from WhatsApp - saving you $1 (about 66p) a year.

Meanwhile, the phone's 2-megapixel camera isn't anything to get excited about - not unexpected for a budget handset of this calibre.

Wassup

By putting WhatsApp front and centre, the new Asha is clearly looking to go down the route of the Facebook Phone, taking on the lower-end Blackberries and bridging the gap between feature phone and smartphone.

Posting the new details on its website, Nokia says the phone will offer 46 days of battery life on the single-SIM version and 24 days on the dual-SIM.

Expect to see the Asha 210 on sale by June 2013, landing with a $72 (around £50/AUS$70) price tag.